Growing up in an entrepreneurial family and being an active member of the entrepreneurial community, I’ve received no shortage of awesome advice, and I’m grateful for it. I’ve learned SO much from so many incredible people. Sometimes it’s just a simple insight, quote or bit of inspiration that helps me navigate the day’s challenge.
Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite nuggets of advice that I’ve acquired along my entrepreneurial journey. These are the things I think about either when I’m feeling inspired or when I’ve had a tough day. I’d love to hear whether you agree or disagree with any of this or if you have any other awesome advice to add to the list.
Some of the best advice and insights I’ve ever gotten:
If you’re not building your own dream, you’re building someone else’s.
In your early years, develop relationships with professionals who are your own age. You will rise the ranks together and become not just friends, but important business colleagues (This is the single biggest way we’ve grown Prosper Strategies!)
Me: Today sucked. My Dad: This is what you signed up for Linds. The highs are higher and the lows are lower.
If someone else can do it 80 percent as well as you can, someone else should be doing it.
Never network for the purposes of business development. Just grow relationships with people who rock. Great things will come of it.
If you want to start a business, you need to be confident in three things: your experience, your network and your financial ability to do so. If your current job is helping you in any of these three areas, keep it for now.
Be confident in your work and share your ideas openly.
Clients don’t hire you because they want to tell you what to do.
You have to spend money to make money.
People choose to work with you because they like you.
The best ideas are very complex in nature but very simple to explain.
If you’re doing great work, doors will open. Don’t compromise.
Some things I’ve learned along the way:
There are also things people never told me about starting a business. Here are some insights I’ve gleaned throughout my own journey. I can’t wait to reflect on this list in 10 years. Here it goes:
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I just never knew when it would happen. Every entrepreneur I’ve talked to had that lightbulb moment when they just knew it was time to walk out the door and hang their own shingle. Have you had yours?
If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to be stupid enough to take the leap and smart enough to pull it off.
Everyone says this, but I’ve lived it. Failure is the absolute BEST thing that can ever happen to you. It’s the very thing that led me to start Prosper Strategies and its lurking presence motivates me every day.
I wouldn’t trade any of the challenges that come along with entrepreneurship to go back to working for someone else.
There’s no roadmap. No one (not even other entrepreneurs) can tell you exactly what to do or how to do it. You can take advice, but ultimately, you have to chart your own course and make your own decisions (and mistakes).
Time is scarce, but it’s your most important resource. Figuring out how to maximize it is the key to scaling your business.
Build processes that force you to reflect on how you’re growing your business every single week.
Balance means different things to different people. Just figure out what it means to you and you’ll be able to find it.
Success doesn’t come overnight. The ascent toward your vision is long and steep, but only you can see it, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Start climbing and you’ll realize, you’re on a never-ending hike. Strive for constant improvement, not perfection.
Trust your gut. It’s right.
Remember, you became an entrepreneur to do the work YOU wanted to do and to build something you’re proud of – use this as a guidepost for every decision and it will be easier to find the balance between love and money.
Everything gets easier after that first year – hang in there.
Please, please share your advice and insights in today’s comments. I can’t read enough musings from other entrepreneurs!
